Features
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When HRC unleashed the RVF750 at the 1991 Isle of Man TT
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Back in 1991 the most exotic prototype four-stroke racing motorcycles took part in the punishing Isle of Man TT races. Bertie Simmonds reports… Two very special RVF750s were given to then TT legends Steve Hislop and Carl Fogarty to race around the punishing 37.73 mile Mountain course. In some respects, the bikes were the four-stroke…
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Honda CB400 Super Four and CB-1: Everything you need to know
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The earliest of these Hondas may be 36 years old, but they look great, offer modern practicality and reliability, with classic status, and the ability to work on them. We look at two of the finest…
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Japanese Street Scramblers: Kawasaki W series
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Kawasaki’s 1960s foray into four-stroke street scramblers produced just one model, but, as Steve Cooper explains, it was definitely a machine with merits. Kawasaki’s W series parallel twins stem from the Meguro Company that had produced similar 500s from the early 1950s. Towards the end of the decade a power unit very reminiscent of that…
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Swan Motor Manufacturing
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The Swan Motor Manufacturing began life in Frodsham High Street in Cheshire in around 1910 and exhibited its first motorcycle at the Olympia Show in 1911. This was an open-frame machine with, unusually for the time, front and rear suspension. The founder of the company was FH Thornton who lived in a large house opposite…
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Ural gonna like this!
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Mick Payne takes a look at a recent build from F2 Motorcycles which marries a Royal Enfield with a Ural sidecar. [STANDFIRST] David Angel of F2 Motorcycles is perhaps best known as the importer of Velorex sidecars, but there are a large number of enthusiasts for whom he is the ‘go-to’ source for all things…
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Pete Sylvester – 44 Reliants!
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Brian Crichton meets a man with a passion for Reliant’s three-wheelers. [STANDFIRST] Pete Sylvester, now 81, has never had a car licence, having relied instead upon on a motorcycle licence since he was 16, back in 1960, which allows him to ride and drive three-wheelers as well as bikes. In 1967 he bought a Reliant…
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An early Triumph
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Though the firm missed out on success in the inaugural 1907 Isle of Man TT, it took top honours in the 1908 event, courtesy of the man and mount pictured here. Words: SIMON ROBINSON In this wonderful photograph, we see works rider Jack Marshall astride his Triumph 3½hp single in racing trim. The 1908 running…
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Looking to Japan – YOUR PERFECT FIRST CLASSIC?
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It’s easy to justify Japanese if coming from a modern bike, Matt Hull explains… THE BEST ANSWERS IN LIFE ARE most often a compromise. But if you fancy looking at buying your first classic bike, looking to the far east is a pretty good solution to avoid pitfalls. Buying a classic motorcycle is buying into…
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The Small Japanese Bikes That Changed Britain Forever
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They were only small at first, but they helped many discover two-wheels… The majority of a certain age owe our biking life to Japanese motorcycles, as they’re the ones that started us off. Before that, motorcycling was dominated by Triumph, BSA, Norton, and Royal Enfield. These makes were what the older brothers and dads were…
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Unsung scramblers
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Two of the lesser-known – and less successful – machines used for off-road speed work, in action at a mid-1950s event. Words: SIMON ROBINSON Published in the April 26, 1956 edition of The Motor Cycle magazine, this picture shows Royal Enfield-mounted F. M. Bussell being followed by Tony White on his Velocette. The action is…
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